Three of those 15 full-time Manteca firefighters rushing to battle a house fire in north Manteca Wednesday had been given layoff notices just hours before. It didn't make a difference to them knowing they had a job to do and they did it while off duty and responding from home.

It is perhaps the most dishonest line in the entire California budget debate: It will only cost a typical family $80 a year to keep tax extensions in place to save the schools, public safety, parks, and anything else you might happen to care about that Sacramento touches.